55,000-year-old Sentinelese tribe in the Andamans continues to resist contact by rest of humanity

An American citizen who illegally landed on one of the protected islands in the Andamans has been killed by the indigenous tribe. NDTV reports that John Allen Chau, an American national visited the North Sentinel island, with help of some local fishermen last week. As soon as he landed, the Sentinelese reportedly shot him with arrows, dragged him to the beach and buried him half in the sand.

Who are the Sentinelese?

The Sentinelese are an indigenous tribe living on the North Sentinel Island. Photo: Dinodia Photos / Alamy

The Sentinelese are an indigenous tribe living on the North Sentinel Island of the Andamans. They have resided on the North Sentinel island for over 55,000 years—when the Neanderthal Man was still around. The Sentinelese are a hunter-gatherer society that’s survived on hunting, fishing and collecting wild plants. The 2011 Census pegs their population at 14, including three women.

The tribe has vehemently resisted all contact with the outside world and has been known to attack any intruders with flat bows and javelins—with lethal accuracy from as far as 350ft. After numerous failed attempts to contact and establish communication with the Sentinelese, the Indian government has halted plans to contact them.

Have outsiders ever visited North Sentinel island?

In 2006, two fishermen illegally fishing in the area were caught by the Sentinelese and killed. Photo: Dinodia Photos / Alamy

In the 1800s, the British ‘Officer in Charge of the Andamanese’, MV Portman landed on the North Sentinel Island, in hope of establishing contact with the Sentinelese. The party found ‘abandoned’ villages and some children, who they took back to Port Blair ‘in the interest of science’. The children were eventually returned to the island with some gifts.

Between 1970-96, Indian authorities and even a National Geographic documentary team attempted trips to the North Sentinel island to befriend the tribe. These visits received responses that varied from friendly to hostile. After the Indonesia tsunami in 2004, Indian government sent a helicopter to drop food and other supplies to the Sentinelese, assuming they needed relief. The tribe refused aid and even attempted to attack the helicopter.

More recently in 2006, two fishermen illegally fishing in the area were caught by the Sentinelese and killed. A helicopter sent to retrieve their bodies was attacked and forced to retreat.

As the area has been largely untouched by modern man, the biodiversity around the island has thrived, making it a coral reef haven that is home to several varieties of fish and underwater creatures. This ecosystem has attracted fishermen and travellers such as the American national, many of whom met a brutal end.